West Virginia ESA and scholarship programs
Education savings account and scholarship programs in West Virginia: who runs them, the key figures for this school year, the next dates, recent changes and step-by-step guides.
Programs
Hope Scholarship
- Short name
- Hope Scholarship
- Administrator
- State Treasurer; Hope Scholarship Board
- Payment platform
- Hope Scholarship portal (Student First Technologies) and TheoPay
- Applications
- open
Key facts
| Value and source | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hope Scholarship | payment rule | 2026–27 | Quarterly by no later than Aug 15, Oct 15, Jan 15, Apr 15; first 2026–27 payment Aug 13, 2026 (A quarterly deposit is made only if the application is in Approved status and a valid Notice of Intent is on file with the county board of education by 4:00 pm on the funding cutoff date (August 1, October 1, January 2, April 1). Otherwise the student is funded at the next quarter.)[source] Checked |
| Hope Scholarship | amount | 2026–27 | $5,435.62 (Full award for a student whose original application was submitted March 2 – June 15, 2026, or who filed the Continued Participation Confirmation. New applications later in the year receive 75%, 50% or 25% (Handbook p. 5). Up to 5% of the per-pupil amount may be retained by the Board for administration.)[source] Checked |
| Hope Scholarship | Quarterly funding cutoffs | 2026–27 | Aug 1, Oct 1, Jan 2, Apr 1 at 4:00 pm (Students who miss a cutoff are funded with the next quarterly distribution after becoming compliant. Cutoffs may move if they fall on a weekend or holiday or if Board staff allow counties more time.)[source] Checked |
| Hope Scholarship | Application windows and proration | 2026–27 | 100% / 75% / 50% / 25% tiers; last day Feb 28, 2027; 2027–28 opens Mar 1, 2027 (The tiers apply to new applicants only; returning students file a Continued Participation Confirmation by June 15. After February 28, 2027 there is no 2026–27 funding. A student who returns to public school and later reapplies receives the tier for the new application date.)[source] Checked |
| Hope Scholarship | Continued Participation Confirmation | 2026–27 | June 15 annually (2026–27 window: January 5 – June 15, 2026) (Proof of continued West Virginia residency is required each year. Accounts for 12th grade students are frozen and closed on June 16 unless a confirmation shows the student has not yet graduated. The student must also meet the June 8 year-end reporting requirement.)[source] Checked |
| Hope Scholarship | Year-end report to the county | 2026–27 | June 8 annually (Test results must be within or above the fourth stanine or show improvement from the previous year. A certified teacher from another state must attach a copy of the license. The NOI on file must match the pathway reported.)[source] Checked |
| Hope Scholarship | Rollover | 2026–27 | No cap stated (If a student returns to public school after October 1, the county board may ask for the account balance to fund the rest of the year. Accounts close for a missed confirmation, missed year-end reporting, full-time public school enrollment, graduation, age 21 or moving out of state.)[source] Checked |
| Hope Scholarship | Reimbursement | 2026–27 | Nine circumstances; 90 days (Purchases made before Hope funds were available in the account do not count. Itemized receipts showing the student's name, items, amounts and payment dates are required; a bank statement alone is not enough. Approved reimbursements are paid by ACH. Denials can be appealed within 45 days.)[source] Checked |
| Hope Scholarship | TheoPay Self-Serve card | 2026–27 | $75 cart limit; one card per scanned cart (Goods only, from TheoPay-enabled (whitelisted) websites, through the browser extension. Each card pays one scanned cart and stays active about a week. Up to 10 active cards per parent account. Families may opt out by submitting to Fulfillment.)[source] Checked |
| Hope Scholarship | Eligibility | 2026–27 | All K-12 students eligible to enroll in a West Virginia public school (from 2026–27) (Incoming kindergarten students must be five before July 1 (or be admitted through a public early-entrance process). Students may not be enrolled full-time in a public school, including a public virtual charter school. An ineligibility decision can be appealed within 45 days.)[source] Checked |
How this table is compiled: sources and methodology.
Next dates
- November 30, 2026 — Hope Scholarship: Last day to apply for 50% of the 2026–27 award (Window closes)
- January 2, 2027 — Hope Scholarship: Funding cutoff: application Approved and Notice of Intent on file by 4:00 pm for the January 15 deposit (Window closes)
- January 15, 2027 — Hope Scholarship: Third quarterly deposit (by this date) (Payment)
Recent changes
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